Welcome friend! I'm so glad you are here.

Are you terrified to network? Have you been asked to network on behalf of your company, orhave you just started a business and need to build a solid network to help you find clients?

I’ve got great news for you! By taking the scenic route through your networking experiences first, you will alleviate much of your anxiety.

Let me show you how.

Imagine This:

You walk into your travel agent’s office, excited about planning a trip to Spain. Together, you and your travel agent plan the trip to its last detail. The excitement builds as you pick the hotel you’ll be staying, the landmarks you’ll tour, and the restaurants you’ll visit.

Right before you leave the office, your travel agent says,

“Make sure your vacation goes perfectly, there will be a quiz when you return. Have a great trip!” How excited are you now?

The reason you traverse to places unknown for vacation is for adventure, not for a quiz on the other side. While you know little of Spain, you aren’t afraid to learn, because the whole point of your trip is to have fun.

There is no quiz. Your travel agent doesn’t give you a grade for how well you “vacationed in Spain.”

Unfortunately, the terrified networker’s mission lacks adventure, because of pressure to strive for an unrealistic goal, with a “quiz” at the end. The quiz could take the form of a boss asking how many sales were made, or at least how many business cards were collected.

What about the pressure you put on yourself, as you try to build your own business? Maybe you are giving yourself the same quiz, or asking yourself, “How many potential sales will come from that meeting I just left?”

Let’s change that.

I challenge you to go to your first few networking event with adventure in mind.

Be a tourist.

I know this sounds counterintuitive; but stick with me.

A tourist doesn’t know what to expect. She keeps her mind open to what she will discover. Be an explorer, and don’t give yourself a grade when you leave the building. Unlike a tourist, you aren’t on a time schedule. Understand you have time to explore. You may visit 5 or 6 meetings in “explore” mode before you move to the next step. It’s ok! If you don’t ever get comfortable, truly comfortable with networking, you’ll never see the results you are hoping for.

The “explore” phase is solely for the purpose of getting comfortable in the networking environment.

Once you are comfortable, you’ll be much more approachable, and you’ll begin building long lasting, important relationships. Those relationships are the foundation to building sales and success in your business.

Ready, Set, Explore!

No, wait. You need a guide, someone to tell you the who, what, and how of exploring.

Let me be your networking tour guide. When you arrive, explore:

First, WHO.

Who is in the room you are in? Are they friendly? Do conversations focus more on their businesses or their personal lives? Are there a few people in the room that you are particularly drawn to?

Next, WHAT

What kinds of professions are represented in the room? Do those professions mesh well with your business? Could you see yourself in the future collaborating with the business owners of those professions to find new clients?

Finally, HOW

How is the event structured? Do you like its structure or should you try to find another type of event that suits you better? (An example might be a networking event in which everyone gives a 60 second pitch to the room vs. one in which the entire time is spent mingling with other business owners.)

Remember, you can’t control outcomes, but you can control your actions. What if, right before you walk into the event, you pledge to smile at every new person you meet?

Focussing on completing this simple action gives you control, warms people up to you, and will keep the intruding, performance driven thoughts at bay. Does this strategy sound like a way to alleviate your fear? Try it, you certainly can’t leave a bad impression by smiling at people.

Finally, just like no one expects a tourist to be the ultimate tour guide at the Sagrada Familia after spending one hour in Spain, the movers and shakers in the networking world will not expect you to be oozing charisma or walk away with business after one hour at that Chamber of Commerce mixer.

The prospects will come. The business will come. Before you go hunting for either, set a reasonable expectation for your networking adventure. What is that expectation?

Watch people network and evaluate how you feel about the experience; that’s it! There is no grade at the end, only how the event made you feel. Invariably you’ll talk to a few people, no doubt you’ll have thoughts about how those conversations went, but again, from a tourist’s perspective, would you expect to converse with ease with the locals in Spain during your first visit?

The bones of networking skills and relationship building will come, when you set yourself up for success in the networking landscape by becoming a tourist for a little while.

Let me leave you with a little secret; you’ll be much more approachable and likable as a tourist than as a salesperson.

Go Network my friend, and remember;

There's no grade at the end.

Faithann Basore and her husband Dave have owned Window Cleaning Plus (WCP) for 10 years. Growing WCP through networking has given Faithann the desire to guide other small business owners through the networking terrain so they can feel comfortable and build long lasting relationships in their business.

Got networking questions? Email me at [email protected].